That’s also equivalent to saying “What about helping small businesses avoid paying any taxes?” as outlined above.
2 Likes
And then there’s the dilemma: If I pay cash (and you avoid paying tax) will my bill be lower? 
I think it’s actually more along the lines of “for small businesses they don’t have to record any information about cash transactions so the only relevant number is what’s in the till minus the float”
Along with some misunderstanding about costs of card fees being too high for them to absorb. I don’t think all assume it’s to dodge tax, but I’d agree that’s the only reason to be cash only (today) and it shouldn’t go on.
1 Like
Yes, it’s smaller by the virtue they’d have greater effective profit margins.
Second my old boss started getting >50% card (now more like 80%) prices went up 10-50p/item because he now had card machine fees in abundance as well as more tax he ^had^ to pay
1 Like
“Average age of person doing so…76 years”
“Average time spent paying out the cash - 2 mins”
“Average time then spent paying a variety of bills whilst complaining about how much they’ve increased - 10 minutes”
“Blood pressure of queue collectively behind this person just wanting a couple of stamps - 150/110”
5 Likes
Last time I used any physical cash whatsoever, was about 3 months ago when I felt compelled to get rid of about 50 quid in notes that had been sitting around at home for far too long. It actually felt quite good to hand it over at a garage in exchange for ridiculously overpriced fuel, but at least I got rid of it!
I’m going to have to do that fairly soon for something, as I’ve still got an old paper £20 note (which I’ve had in my wallet since around 2017) and I want to get rid of it before the paper notes are withdrawn!
Doesn’t that have to be exchanged at a bank now? I thought one was no longer able to spend the previous design £20 note, it could only be exchanged at a bank. If I’m talking out of my well formed butt cheeks, I can only apologise 
I can of course swap you. I have a Duke of Wellington fiver which would be a bargain trade 
No, not until the end of September!
The paper £50 is due to be withdrawn at the same time.
I must be old 
Last time I dropped an Amazon return off at my local - I got some cash out and bought a few stamps and Lottery tickets whilst I was there too. All very productive and only a one person in front of me; she was posting a package and getting cash too.
At my local Post Office the length of the queue seems to vary wildly from very busy at random times (like the middle of a weekday afternoon) to very quiet (on a Sunday morning is usually a good time).
There isn’t a huge amount of space for the Post Office as it is at the back of a shop, so it’s much nicer when there aren’t so many people there.
Our local post office queue is not normally too bad but is now part of WHSmith.
1 Like
I realise the Post Office do an exceptional job and they are an important means of carrying out transactions for many people, but I just find standing in a Post Office counter queue an unbelievable drag. My last time, was back last September (Passportgate), stuck behind people wanting to pay every bill under the sun or the eBay sellers with armfuls of parcels to be processed. Absolutely horrible. It’s no wonder I have such an aversion to any form of branch banking!
1 Like
Did they not let you renew online?
That’s annoying!
I did the whole renewal online, the problem was, I chose to send my old passport back by special delivery (like any sensible person who still had validity left on their old passport but not enough to satisfy the 6 months required to visit many countries) just in case it went ‘missing’ during postage. It didn’t arrive by Royal Mail’s specified time for special delivery because they cocked up at a sorting office. I was refunded the postage via cheque.
By the way, I’ve been using my now ‘severely weakened’ new blue passport very successfully without any hitches whatsoever without the need to visit Consulates pleading for help because the new Brit passport is now apparently a shadow of its former self But then again, I don’t visit countries where there’s no British support available, so I’ll try not to worry myself too much!
1 Like
Ah, yes.
Where we live, we can now use a Royal Mail service where the postman can collect your parcel at the same time as your post is delivered. I think they would allow a special delivery letter too (which is probably what a passport is classed as). I’ve used it once and it has worked very well!
1 Like
I use it all the time. They collect pretty much anything provided that it’s got a valid label 
There was a flyer in our post a couple of weeks ago mentioning that you now don’t even need to print the label yourself - you can select the option for them to print the label at the sorting office so the postman comes with the label, sticks it on when you give them the parcel, and you don’t even need to have a printer!
6 Likes
Correct - I’ve done that a couple of times, too
2 Likes